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墨書 Inktalez
Second moved closer, ready to listen to First's account.
First gradually calmed down and said, "I didn't find Eighth."
During their conversation, the corpse of the tiger began to shift slightly, as if something was dragging it, and soon it was pulled down the slope.
Second continued to press, "What about Eighth..." but hesitated to finish. First nodded, estimating that it was a matter of life and death. First rarely judged others' fates lightly, but once he did, it usually meant that person was as good as dead. Second sighed, showing some frustration.
Seven remained silent nearby, lost in thought.
Second cursed, "Damn it, he didn't die at the hands of the enemy on the battlefield, but here instead. It's just not worth it."
"What are you complaining about? The man is dead; let him rest in peace."
Seven stood up, picked up First's long knife, chopped a thick branch, and began digging a hole in the ground.
Second asked, "What are you doing, Seven?" Seven replied, "Since Eighth is dead and we haven't found his body, we should at least give him a proper grave."
"Do you have any of his belongings?"
"I have a jade pendant he once gave me; it can be considered his item. Now it will return to its rightful owner," Seven said with a hint of sadness.
Second also helped dig the hole while First watched coldly from the side.
Once everything was ready, the three performed a ceremonial tribute, pouring a cup of strong liquor as an offering to heaven and earth.
Standing before the grave, First quietly said, "Safe travels, Eighth."
Second approached First, asking, "What exactly did you encounter down there?" First turned back and looked deeply at Second, saying, "That thing is something I've never encountered before; it's not time to tell you yet."
Still unsatisfied, Second prepared to press further when First, with a low voice tinged with reprimand, said, "Some things are better left unknown for now."
Second had no choice but to keep quiet and sat down on the ground.
First glanced at the three of them, then meaningfully looked toward the place they had just escaped from and said, "You three rest. I'll take the night watch."
Seven replied, "No, let me take the night watch. You all are injured." Second chimed in, "Yeah, First, just let Seven take the watch. You should rest."
With so many wounds on First's body, he indeed felt exhausted. He didn't insist any longer and told Seven, "Stay alert." Seven nodded in agreement.
The night passed relatively peacefully. The only incident was when Third, having fallen heavily during their escape, coughed up some blood in the middle of the night. Overall, it was a calm night.
In the morning, they found Seven roasting a wild rabbit on a wooden rack. Even Third, who was in pain, woke up and cursed, "What a feast!"
They hadn't eaten for several days, and one rabbit was hardly enough for a few grown men. Still, having something to eat was better than nothing.
Seven stood on a nearby high ground with a map in hand, occasionally gazing into the distance.
First walked over and asked, "How's it going, Seven?"
After hearing the question, Seven pointed south and said, "According to the marked points on the map, we should be close to exiting this forest. But..." Seven's expression turned troubled.
First asked, "What’s wrong? Is there another problem?"
With a hint of bitterness in his voice, Seven replied, "There's a large swamp not far ahead. We have to cross that swamp to get out of this forest."
First looked at the map and said, "That's indeed a problem. Can we go around the swamp? Maybe we can bypass it." First pointed at the map as he spoke to Seven.
Seven shook his head and said uneasily, "That's not possible. It would be even more dangerous to go that way; it used to be a battlefield. That area is known as Thunder Land. Crossing through there would be akin to courting death."
First's face darkened with worry as he said, "Then we have no choice but to go through the swamp."
"Yes," Seven replied, and after confirming the route, the group decided to set off.
The air in the forest was still quite fresh after the rain, with a gentle breeze stirring the grass and trees. Third listened to First talk about Eighth's death, showing little reaction; instead, he seemed even calmer.
They continued walking, each person’s clothes tattered and their faces marked with fatigue and wounds. They didn't even have the strength to exchange unnecessary words.
After walking for a few hundred meters, a fog began to rise ahead, and then an inexplicable scent of "roasted rabbit" filled the air. Second noticed it first, becoming somewhat dazed, a look of fascination on his face. Soon, Seven fell into a similar state, followed by First, who also began to exhibit similar symptoms, though not as deeply as the first two.
Third remained unaffected. Observing the behavior of the others, Third sensed something was wrong. He took a deep sniff of the air and thought, "This is bad."
Third shook Second vigorously until he woke up, rubbing his head and asking, "What just happened?"
"Don't ask so many questions. Quickly wake up Seven; I'll go call First."
Once all three had regained their senses, they were left with a sense of confusion.
First asked, "What just happened? I feel like I lost consciousness for a moment."
Third held up a plant and said, "What you smelled was the gas released by this plant. It can temporarily disrupt your nervous system, causing you to lose yourself in an illusion."
Third continued explaining, "This plant is called Soul-Devouring Grass. It releases this scent at specific times to lure prey. Oh, I forgot to mention—it’s carnivorous."
Upon hearing this, Second cursed, "Damn it! A mere weed is also carnivorous? This is outrageous."
Seven asked, "How come you're fine, Third?"
"Don't forget my background; my family has been traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for generations. My nose is naturally sensitive."
"Right! How could I forget that?" Second chimed in.
First pondered for a moment, then smiled lightly. Third took three leaves from his pocket and said to everyone, "Put these in your mouths."
The three of them took the leaves, puzzled. "What good are these useless leaves?"
Third teased, "They may seem like useless leaves, but in traditional Chinese medicine, there's a principle of mutual generation and restraint, using poison to counteract poison. Just keep them in your mouths, and you'll be fine."
They followed his instructions, and sure enough, until they reached the edge of the swamp, nothing unusual happened to them.
Standing before the vast expanse of the swamp, the four felt incredibly small. The black marsh exuded a putrid odor. Seven remarked, "According to geography, this swamp formed due to the continuous decay and accumulation of fallen leaves from the entire forest, which then carbonized in a cyclical process. However, logically speaking, a forest swamp shouldn't be this large," Seven said, perplexed.
Second looked at Seven impatiently and said, "Why are you rambling? Just walk across and see what it is." With that, he stepped forward, only to have one foot sink into the muck.
It took some effort for the others to pull him out.
Feeling a bit embarrassed, Second's face turned slightly red. First said to him, "Be more careful in the future."
Second nodded in agreement.
The group shifted their attention back to Seven. Third asked, "So according to you, this swamp is suspicious?"
"I can't say for sure," Seven replied thoughtfully. "But based on how forest swamps form, this situation shouldn't occur."
First gazed out over the entire swamp and asked, "Is there any way to safely cross it?"
"Let me think," Seven said. He then sat down beside the swamp and began sketching various hypothetical diagrams in the dirt with a small stick, searching for a comparative point to find a suitable pressure point.
The more Seven hypothesized, the more chaotic his thoughts became. Before he knew it, afternoon had arrived. At some point, Second had managed to catch some game and started a fire to cook it. He called out to Seven to come eat.
Lost in his own thoughts and simulations, Seven didn't respond to Second. First urged Second not to disturb him and let him focus for a while longer.
At that moment, Seven's mind was like a chaotic mess, completely tangled with no clear thoughts. He rummaged through his knowledge of modern geography and ancient geographical concepts, instinctively glancing around at the surroundings. Suddenly, four words flashed in his mind, shattering all of Seven's hopes and assumptions: Swamp of Death.
Seven's gaze became vacant as he muttered something under his breath. After a moment, he turned back and said, "There's something suspicious about this forest."
The few people with their mouths full of game meat stopped chewing, staring at Seven in disbelief.
Second said, "Seven, don't scare me. Is this a dead end?"
Third, still pale from blood loss despite having just drunk the blood of a beast, stood up and hoarsely suggested, "How about I go down first to test the waters?"
He looked at the others with determination.
First kept his head down in silence while Second was about to speak when Seven's serious voice interrupted him: "No one should act rashly. Going down is definitely a death sentence."
Third paused for a moment, and Second rushed over to support him.
Only then did First slowly rise and say, "Let me do it." Seven still insisted, "No, big brother. Look at the direction of these trees." Several people turned to look at the forest behind them.
"What’s wrong with the direction of these trees?" Second blurted out. At that moment, no one had time to respond to him. The other three were focused on observing the alignment of the trees.
Third remarked, "The direction of these trees is surprisingly consistent." First nodded in agreement and said, "I noticed that too."
Seven calmly stated, "But it's not just that. Have you noticed how uniformly spaced these trees are? Whether near or far, they are all planted in similar clusters."
First and Third exchanged glances, beginning to sense something unusual. Second stared intently but still hadn’t identified anything strange.
First spoke up, "Seven, are you saying there’s something wrong with these trees?"
"Seven" spoke decisively, surprising everyone with his unexpected words: "This forest is a giant map. Or perhaps, a massive maze."
As soon as "Seven" finished speaking, several people were taken aback. They all sensed the looming danger, even " Second," who was usually carefree, fell silent in contemplation.
"Seven" continued to observe the forest and sighed, "We won't get through today. Let's rest here for the night and plan our next move."
The group was at a loss, so they could only set up camp beside the swamp.
Nightfall came quickly, accompanied by the low cawing of a few crows. Some areas of the swamp glimmered with a dark hue under the moonlight, while the chilly evening breeze brushed against their still-healing wounds, causing an irritating sensation. " Second " scratched at his wound vigorously, cursing, "There are so many mosquitoes here."
"Third" lifted his eyelids to glance at " Second," immediately alerting him, "Stop scratching! If you keep it up, you'll see bone." Only then did " Second " look at his arm, where deep gashes were dangerously close to the bone. "Damn it, what on earth is happening?"
"Third" instructed, "Stay still and don't move. I'll go find some herbs."
After a while, "Third" returned with an assortment of plants in hand. He moved a stone and crushed the herbs before calling out to " Second," "Come here; I'll apply this for you." As he applied the herbs to " Second's" arm, a wave of coolness washed over him. "That feels much better," " Second " remarked.
Once he had treated " Second," "Third" returned to his original spot.
"First" and "Seven" were murmuring something to each other nearby.
"If this place really doesn't work out, we might as well head to that area called 'Thunder Land,'" "First" suggested.
"That's even less feasible," "Seven" quickly dismissed his idea. "The chances of dying there are even greater than here."
"Seven" continued, "Since this place is a map, it means we definitely have a way out." He looked up at the sky; the moon was subtly shifting, its light filtering through the gaps in the leaves above them, creating a chaotic yet fragmented illumination throughout the forest...
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